ST. PAUL, Minn. – Two Nigerian nationals have been sentenced to prison, probation, and owe over $500,000 in restitution for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from victims in romance fraud schemes, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. According to court documents, beginning in 2016 through 2019, Charles Emeka Obije, 41, used fictitious identities to contact victims throughout the United States, including Minnesota, via email…

McALLEN, Texas - A 51-year-old Rio Grande City resident and employee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been charged with bribery of public officials and witnesses, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.  Roberto Rodriguez, 51, turned himself in to authorities today. He is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker at 9 a.m. Also taken into custody and appearing today are Jose…

MINNEAPOLIS – An Albert Lea woman has been sentenced to a year and one day in prison, three years of supervised release, and is required to pay $213,217 in restitution for stealing public housing rent payments, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. According to court documents, between January 2010 and July 18, 2018, Marcie Marie Thumann, 45, worked as a bookkeeper for the Albert Lea Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA), a government…

HOUSTON – A 61-year-old man has been sent to federal prison following his conviction of money laundering as well as conspiracy to commit and committing wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. A federal jury deliberated for approximately half a day following an eight-day trial before returning a guilty verdict Sept. 20, 2022, on all counts against Clarence Roland III. Today, U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal ordered Roland to…

McALLEN, Texas – The former mayor of La Joya and two others have been ordered to federal prison for wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery. Former mayor Jose Adolfo Salinas, 83, pleaded guilty July 19, 2021, while his daughter - Frances Salinas De Leon, 54 - and Ramiro Alaniz, 40, both admitted to their guilt June 17, 2021. All are from La Joya Today, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced Salinas to 33 months in prison,…

MINNEAPOLIS – The Justice Department today announced that it has obtained a consent decree with Reese Pfeiffer and several other defendants to resolve allegations that Pfeiffer violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by subjecting 23 women to severe and repeated sexual harassment and retaliation at residential properties defendants own or manage in and around Minneapolis. Under the consent decree, the defendants must pay a total of $736,000 in…

TYLER, Texas – U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox announced today that six individuals have been arrested pursuant to a federal indictment alleging money laundering violations. “The threat posed by transnational organized crime is continuing to increase,” said U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox.  “Of particular concern to us is the financial exploitation of older Americans by foreign-based crime rings.  These villains are located thousands of…